President, mayor clash over Male park, beach development

Male Mayor Adam Azim said on Friday that preparations for the development of Sultan Park and Rasfannu artificial beach were already in place and accused President Mohamed Muizzu of attempting to take credit for the projects.

In a post on X, President Muizzu on Friday announced plans to further develop Sultan Park and Rasfannu.

Azim, responding to the statement in an interview with Atoll Times, said that Sultan Park had not undergone any major renovations since its development under former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration. He stated that the city council had already conducted an assessment of the park and planned to open the bidding process.

“After I took over, an assessment was conducted, and the bid was to be opened. The president must have been aware of this. The bid will be announced today or tomorrow,” Azim said.

Azim claimed that no work was done on Sultan Park when President Muizzu served as mayor of Male. Last week, the city council posted on X that an assessment had been conducted and that the development work would be awarded soon. He added that the bidding process had been completed and was awaiting final signatures.

Regarding Rasfannu, Azim stated that it was not under the control of the city council until recently. He noted that different sections of the area were managed by multiple entities:

Azim stated that the site was transferred to the city council last week following negotiations with MTCC. He confirmed that the beach development project had already been awarded and work would begin soon.

“The city council will begin constructing huts in the area shortly,” Azim said.

He also stated that the council’s housing affairs had been withheld and that the cat shelter project, which was nearing completion, had been taken over before services could begin.